Time After Time
by Well-wisher
Summary: Lenna and Maxy are two new newsies on the streets of New York city. Although they both are only six years old, they are a great team, and are hardly afraid of anything. They never belonged to any one burough, they just went where ever the selling was good
1. A New Home

It was 1994 in New York, America, and Newsies swarmed all over da city, sellin' papes, improvin' da truth, and havin' fun while doin' so. It was hard times these, but da Newsies found various ways to keep their spirits up…

"Tickets to da Grande show Paree! Paree!

Buy a pape ta get in free! Oh me! Oh me!

Free tickets to da Grande show Paree! Paree!

Buy a pape and find 'em free! Buy a pape an' go an' see!"

Two newsies, sister and brother were singing back to back, grinning, and selling their papes like hot potatoes. Those two usually sang to sell papes, and to gain a fair amount of money while doing so, even they were very small. As of yet, they didn't belong to any burough. They just slept on the streets, and sold papes wherever they woke up. One day it would be Manhattan, the next Queens. They went all over. Where ever the selling was good.

Soon all their papes were gone, and as the last one was sold, the Delancy brothers came around the corner, looking like a couple of wet cats, for all there was. They were sopping wet, and upon seeing them, the young boy nudged his sister and laughed.

"'Ey, Lenna!" he laughed, and his sister turned around, looking where her brother was, and on spotting the wet Delancys, she grinned and started to laugh as well. "-look at dose muttonheads! Looks like dey got a good soaking!" at his joke the two of them cracked up, holding their stomachs, doubled over, and so did the people who were close enough to hear, and saw what they were talking about. The Delancys spotted the two of them, and strode angrily over, glaring harshly at them.

Near the statue of Horace Greely, a couple of Manhattan Newsies turned around from something they were looking at on the ground, and started to watch. Jack Kelly, Boots, Dutchy, Bumlets, Davey and Race were there, to name a few.

"Ooooo! Look out Maxy! Da wet cats are comin' foah us!" Lenna crowed with laughter, and Maxy all but fell on the ground and started rolling over and over in laughter, clutching his sides. They were both dressed as Newsies, in other words, Lenna was dressed like a boy, so you could see her stamp her foot, laughing. Then a shadow fell over her a split second before a balled fist rammed into the side of her head. Not that they weren't expecting that, but it still hurt. Lenna now lay on her side on the ground, grimacing and gently nursing the injured side of her head before sitting up. Maxy was in a better place to fight, compared to his sister. Even though he was only about six, he braced himself against the ground, and kicked upwards with both feet. One kick missed as Oscar dodged backwards, but his other foot connected with Morris' groin. He doubled over and groaned, giving Maxy enough time to jump to his feet, and to thump him on the back of his head. He went down like a sack of flour.

Oscar saw that, and his rage mounted up, seeing red, and he swung a fat fist at Maxy's head, standing behind the little boy. Maxy ducked, hearing Oscar's fist whistle through the air, and he felt it skimming just over his head, making a slight breeze. Maxy kicked behind him, and Oscar grabbed his leg, wincing, as Maxy spun around, glaring. The boy didn't have enough time to move though, and Oscar grabbed his neck, and slammed him up against a wall, and on the other side of the street, the boys saw this, and tried to cross the street without being run over by a carriage. Maxy gulped and gasped, holding tightly onto Oscar's hand, trying to get the older boy to loosen his grip, his eyes wide with fear and badly masked pain. The other boys were in the middle of the street now, and Maxy was starting to turn red.

There was a sudden twang of snapping rubber, a whistling, and Oscar turned his head sharply towards the sound just in time to get a stone right between his eyes, breaking the bridge of his nose with a crunch. He dropped Maxy, who slid limply down the wall, gasping and holding his throat. Oscar cursed fluently in pain, holding the bridge of his nose, and glaring at Lenna, who still had her slingshot out, though she was holding it to the ground, looking at Oscar hazily, as if not quite seeing him.

"You little beast!" Oscar swore angrily at the little six-year-old girl who could barely sit up due to the pain in her head. "I'll get you for that one day…!" he shouted at her, retreating, grabbing one of his brother's feet with one hand, and dragged away through the dust.

The girl sat there for a few seconds, before crawling carefully, trembling over to her brother who was still slumped against the wall. Maxy turned his head very slightly to look at her with his big sea-green eyes, which his sister had as well.

"Sorry…" he apologized to his sister without need. "I didn' think dey'd be dat strong…" he trailed off. Lenna smiled softly at him, still trembling, before looking up at the four older Newsie boys from across the street, whose shadows had fallen over them. They made no move other than to crouch down around them, so the two kids didn't take them as a threat. They were crouching around the two in a sort of semi-circle, and were looking at them with concerned and awed expressions.

"Are ya two alright?" The one with black hair, a roundish sort of face and dark eyes asked them, his warm eyes looking at them both in turn. Lenna nodded and then winced badly because it hurt to do so, and Maxy stared at him as though asking: 'Why should I tell you?'

"Dat was one heck of a fight! Where'd you learn dat? You're good." The big one with the cowboy hat told them. The two just sat there and smiled a bit when he complimented them.

"Is your neck okay?" the one with very tight brown curls and blue eyes asked Maxy, who winced in return as his hand touched a really sore spot. "Is your head?" he asked, looking at Lenna now.

"No." she whispered, after pausing, seeing no point in lying any more. The boy winced in sympathy for her.

"Do ya need some help? Do ya want it?" The blonde one with glasses asked them both. Maxy looked like he was going to refuse it, but Lenna cut across him with her small, slightly pained and faint voice.

"Yeah. We need it. Please…" she said, taking the offer of help, as her eyes clouded over, and she fell limply as she fainted from the pain in her head. She had fainted lightly against the boy with the black hair who had first asked if they were alright. He caught her, and held her with alarmed eyes, after checking her face to see if she was ok.

Maxy's eyes widened in alarm, and he practically bounced off the wall to his sister when she fainted.

"Lenna!" he spoke frightened in front of the boys for the first time, and they heard that his voice was small and squeaky, so he couldn't be very old. He checked his sister's face as well, and once he saw that she was alright, he sat back on his heels, and noticed that every eye was on him. He gulped. He wasn't used to this.

"I suppose dat we do need your help aftah all…" he surrendered to the boys in a way, giving up to his and his sister's needs. A few of them gave him soft, reassuring smiles, and stood. Maxy stood with them, but once he gained his feet, he staggered into the cowboy's legs, tired from the fight, The cowboy just smiled down at him, picked him up under the arm pits, and set him on his shoulders.

"Thanks…" Maxy thanked the cowboy quietly, under his breath, not liking to be thought of as weak. Cowboy just smiled, and introduced himself as Jack Kelly, the boy carrying Lenna as Bummlets, the one with curly brown hair as David, and the blonde one as Dutchy as they all walked back to the Manhattan Newsboy's lodging House to get some help.


	2. First Friends

Alright, I know this is a short chapter, but that's all I got for now, okay? Next update will be a few years into the future.

Disclaimer: Sorry for forgetting to put this in earlier, but I own nothing, 'cept my characters and my plot.

"-alright! That should do it." Said Denton, putting the finishing touches on the bandage around Lenna's head, which had started bleeding slightly on her temple from where her head had hit the sidewalk. Denton had put some sort of cream on Maxy's neck where the bruising was, and he had not liked the feel of it at all, if his squirming had been any judge. Bumlets had to hold him down, which he had found rather amusing, since he had been smiling, eyes shining. Lenna was awake now, and the two kids seemed to be inseparable. They were in the bunk rooms, where all the Newsies slept every night.

"Dat was some good fightin' ya did out dere." Said Jack, who was leaning against a bunk bed pole. He had been studying the two kids for a while now. "Where'd ya learn?" he asked quietly. Lenna and Maxy both turned to look at him, Maxy doing so with a slight wince.

"In da suburbs," Maxy replied. "-Mastah Suni taught us Tae Kwon Do, so we'd know 'ow ta fight once 'e knew we was comin' 'ere." Jack lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Tae Kwon Do? Six-year-olds? Some how that just didn't fit…

"'E was like fadah an' da mudder we nevah 'ad…" Lenna piped in. "'E loved us like we were own. 'E didn' 'ave no kids dough…nevah 'ad a wife." She said with a little humor. A few newsies snickered in the background. "'E was da one dat 'elped us get out of da orphanage." She added as an afterthought. Maxy shot her a warning glare too late. The others had heard.

"Really?" Race piped up in the corner. "'Ow'ed ya leave?" he asked, as though it was an every day question, which it probably was. Maxy sighed and shook his head, giving up the secrecy now that Lenna had blurted. He glanced over at his sister, and saw her trying to apologize with her face at him; he rolled his eyes and then smiled at her, letting her know it was alright.

"'E stole us in a way, simply put." He said. "Den 'e brought us 'ere."

"We lived in da streets foah a couple a weeks," Lenna added on. "-den some fat, bald guy in a black bowler hat caught us an' put us in dis place called da Refuge." Maxy laughed a short laugh at his sister's description of Snyder.

"'E was called Snyder, Lenna, don't'cha remembah?" He smiled, and a spark of familiarity caught in her eyes. "We 'ad a ball in dat place," he said, talking to Jack and the rest once more. They raised their eyebrows in surprise. They had fun? In the Refuge? Unthinkable. How? "We put lemonade in his shoes, potatoes in his hat, locked 'is office door an' stole 'is keys so dat 'e couldn't get in, and finnaly, we shrunk all 'is clothes and ripped da seams so dat he would feel fattah!"

The two sniggered at the memory, leaning on each other. The other Newsies were grinning by now, thinking up all the reactions that Snyder would've had to all those pranks played on him by the twin terrors.

"Once we got tired of all dat, though," Lenna added again. "-we just left. It gets boring there after awhile…" she trailed off. Another surprise for the newsies. They just left? That had never happened before.

"How did ya manage that?" Jack asked, surprised. Maxy grinned up at him remembering.

"I fell out da first floor window and into a tree," he laughed. "-and Lenna worried about me and jumped aftah me!" He laughed lightly, and Lenna rolled her eyes at his back. Apparently he had bragged about this before. The newsies all laughed, and Denton grinned.

Jack laughed, and grinning, he plopped down on the bed next to the two of them, and wrapped an arm around their shoulders.

"You two have some pretty good stuff there," he said. "How'd you like to join da Manhattan Newsies?" he asked, and the room went quiet, waiting for their answer. Every one in the room liked these kids. They looked at each other and grinned. They looked back at Jack and took in a breath.

"SURE!"

The whole room burst out laughing. They had both tackled Jack from either side, mussing us his hair. Jack just fell on the ground with the two midgets on him, laughing with the crowd, play-fighting, though gently, since they were small. Lenna poked him in the stomach, then ran off around the bunkroom, yelling gleefully: "Catch me if you can!"

Jack just laughed and tore after her, Maxy still holding on to his shoulders with a wild grin. It was a good life, being a newsie.


	3. Lenna

Disclaimer: Sorry for forgetting to put this in earlier, but I own nothing, 'cept my characters and my plot.

Thanks goes to PhycopathofSanity, for being the only one to review.

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**Five Years Later**

Maxy leapt out of the Manhattan Newsie's lodging house with a laugh and danced around on one foot, watching the rest of the boys spill out of the building, singing their hearts out, dancing as well. He was now eleven years old, and he had most certainly grown up. He had grown a good few feet since he had first joined the Newsies of Manhattan, and apart from the occasional troubles along the way, life had most certainly good, even though there wasn't that much money to be had.

"It's a fine life! Carryin' da bannah through it all! A mighty fine life, carryin' the bannah tough an' tall! We do what we wishes, we as free as fishes-" they all sang, carrying the banner once more, and Maxy joined in the song, whole-heartedly, once even adding his own line.

"It's a fine life! Makin' sure ta use every tatic dere is!" For a moment, all the boys stopped and looked at him, and he just shrugged, grinning. "A mighty fine life! Carryin' da bannah tough an'-" he sang futher, and everyone just kept on singing.

Maxy sure did have the look of a teenager now, even though he was only eleven. He was tall, lean, strong and broad for his age, since he had been in so many fights, and had most always come out on top. The Delancy's were now avoiding him like the plague, since he had gotten bigger, and more talented in the art of fighting. It was amazing how skinny he was, as thin as a stick, as all the waitresses would say at Tibby's, buying him more food than he ordered, trying to make look less thin, for their own sakes. He always gave the extra food to his fellow newsies later, who hadn't made enough money for lunch. His eyes were as sea-greeny as always, though his hair had faded from red to just strawberry blonde. He was viewed as a bit of a young ruffian, but quite a fine catch to any young ladies who managed to ensnare his heart.

They caught sight of the distribution office, and then they just started jogging towards it, still singing, ready to sell their papes, Maxy still in the lead. As the rush slowed down a bit, Maxy glanced around, taking in his surroundings, like he always did everyday, and his eyes fell on that spot near the Horace Greely statue, where he and his sister had first met the newsies. His smile slid off his face as he slowed to a stop and just stared at the spot. He AND his sister.

Bumlets shook his head to get the hair out of his face, and looked around, checking the crowd of newsies around him. He blinked. Maxy wasn't there. He furrowed his eyebrows, and turned around, looking for him. He had appointed himself Maxy's guardian ever since Lenna had been taken.

There he was. Standing right in the middle of the street.

Bumlets walked towards him, puzzled, and put a hand on his shoulder when he got to him. He looked the way the Maxy was, and his face darkened sadly with realization. He was staring at the spot where he had first found the two of them with the other newsies. Their first fight in New York.

Bumlets sighed and wrapped an arm around the boy, and when he looked at him with his sad eyes, Bumlets couldn't smile, but he nodded his head towards the distubution office in a silent question. Maxy sighed and nodded down at the ground, and they started walking back, Bum's arm still over Maxy's shoulders comfortingly.

"It's alright Act…" Bum whispered in Maxy's ear, since he wasn't really a talker. "-lets get dose papes."


	4. Nightmare

Disclaimer: Sorry for forgetting to put this in earlier, but I own nothing, 'cept my characters and my plot.

Thanks goes to PhycopathofSanity, for being the only one to review.

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**Five Years Later**

Maxy leapt out of the Manhattan Newsie's lodging house with a laugh and danced around on one foot, watching the rest of the boys spill out of the building, singing their hearts out, dancing as well. He was now eleven years old, and he had most certainly grown up. He had grown a good few feet since he had first joined the Newsies of Manhattan, and apart from the occasional troubles along the way, life had most certainly good, even though there wasn't that much money to be had.

"It's a fine life! Carryin' da bannah through it all! A mighty fine life, carryin' the bannah tough an' tall! We do what we wishes, we as free as fishes-" they all sang, carrying the banner once more, and Maxy joined in the song, whole-heartedly, once even adding his own line.

"It's a fine life! Makin' sure ta use every tatic dere is!" For a moment, all the boys stopped and looked at him, and he just shrugged, grinning. "A mighty fine life! Carryin' da bannah tough an'-" he sang futher, and everyone just kept on singing.

Maxy sure did have the look of a teenager now, even though he was only eleven. He was tall, lean, strong and broad for his age, since he had been in so many fights, and had most always come out on top. The Delancy's were now avoiding him like the plague, since he had gotten bigger, and more talented in the art of fighting. It was amazing how skinny he was, as thin as a stick, as all the waitresses would say at Tibby's, buying him more food than he ordered, trying to make look less thin, for their own sakes. He always gave the extra food to his fellow newsies later, who hadn't made enough money for lunch. His eyes were as sea-greeny as always, though his hair had faded from red to just strawberry blonde. He was viewed as a bit of a young ruffian, but quite a fine catch to any young ladies who managed to ensnare his heart.

They caught sight of the distribution office, and then they just started jogging towards it, still singing, ready to sell their papes, Maxy still in the lead. As the rush slowed down a bit, Maxy glanced around, taking in his surroundings, like he always did everyday, and his eyes fell on that spot near the Horace Greely statue, where he and his sister had first met the newsies. His smile slid off his face as he slowed to a stop and just stared at the spot. He AND his sister.

Bumlets shook his head to get the hair out of his face, and looked around, checking the crowd of newsies around him. He blinked. Maxy wasn't there. He furrowed his eyebrows, and turned around, looking for him. He had appointed himself Maxy's guardian ever since Lenna had been taken.

There he was. Standing right in the middle of the street.

Bumlets walked towards him, puzzled, and put a hand on his shoulder when he got to him. He looked the way the Maxy was, and his face darkened sadly with realization. He was staring at the spot where he had first found the two of them with the other newsies. Their first fight in New York.

Bumlets sighed and wrapped an arm around the boy, and when he looked at him with his sad eyes, Bumlets couldn't smile, but he nodded his head towards the distubution office in a silent question. Maxy sighed and nodded down at the ground, and they started walking back, Bum's arm still over Maxy's shoulders comfortingly.

"It's alright Act…" Bum whispered in Maxy's ear, since he wasn't really a talker. "-lets get dose papes."

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Maxy-or Act as he was called by his fellow newsies- tossed in his bed, rumpling his sheets, sweating, getting caught in a knot that the sheets were making down around his legs. He was dreaming about that night again.

_DREAM_

_Maxy and Lenna trouped into the bunkroom, puckered out, dry, hot and sore from working hard all day long, soaking scabs and avoiding getting soaked just like all the other newsies behind them. They grinned at each other. They had made some good money today, and they sat down together on Lenna's bed and divided the plunder. They'd make $4.50 today! They were rich! Divided between them, they each got $2.25, enough to let them live quite well for about four days, and that quite well nowadays!_

_The two laughed, and clapped each other on the back, congratulating each other. They had made real good money by acting out a scene they had seen_(no pun intended!)_ from a window of a theater Royale, a play called '_Romeo and Juliet_' by William Shakespeare. What they had seen was all about fluffy stuff about the boy called Romeo loving up his girl called Juliet who was up on a balcony and couldn't be bothered to climb down. They were advertising it in the paper. So, naturally, seeing the advertisement, Lenna got up on a stack of crates, leaned against one of them and made goo-goo eyes at her brother, who stood at the bottom, pretending to big and strong and put on a deep voice. They had put on the scene with great deatail, recalling what they had seen with great accuracy. They had sold all their papes, and at a customer's request, they did it again, even after all their papes were gone, raking in even more money. That's why they were so rich today._

_Just when all the dust was settling down in the bunk rooms, tired newsies taking a quick kip on a random bed before the owner of that bed woke them up rudely, stiff and sore joints being relieved from their strain from heavy stacks of papes and random beatings in the shower, when loud voices arguing came up from the stairs, and a door slammed, and then silence._

_Everyone who was awake looked at each other, mystified. What had that been all about? Suddenly, footsteps too heavy to belong to any newsie that they knew started climbing up the fire escape, and the older newsies pushed to the front of the crowd closest to the window on a sudden, protective instinct, ushering the younger ones behind them._

_Then, a man completely in black jumped in front of the window with a scowl and a snarl fit to make any black bear green with envy. Every one jumped, and the younger ones screamed and ran for cover away from the sight of the hideous man. The distorted man came in through the window slowly, and advanced towards the younger, running newsies with searching, scorching eyes. Maxy picked himself up and ran, sticking his half of the money in his pocket while running for the door. Then he realized that his sister was not following. He turned at the door, and saw her sitting there, gazing at the distorted man as if in a fearful trance, and as if sensing her gaze, the figure turned it's gaze towards her, and it grinned. Lenna could do nothing more but widen her eyes._

_The newsies tried to stop it from getting to her, but they were all pushed aside like rag dolls, unhurt. Then Bumlets jumped in front of the figure with a defying glare, and waited for it to make to first move. It made to push him aside like it had done with all the others, but Bumlets grabbed it's arm, twisted it, pounded his strong fist down on it and broke it. The creature howled with pain, and with one mighty swipe with his other arm, it scooped Bumlets into the air, and slammed him against the wall. Bum's head hit the wall with a loud sound like a rock being thrown into the river, and he slid down the wall, his eyes glassy, and blood starting to trickle it's way out from his dark hair._

"_Lenna…" Maxy whispered, but it seemed as if he had screamed his sister's name, as time slowed, the figure reaching out his palm, Lenna magically flying to his hand as if it had tied a string around her and yanked her to him, Lenna fainting as he did so. The figure then flew out of the window with a flurry of black cloth, and Maxy hadn't done a thing to stop it from taking his sister, and he blamed himself at this very moment. He then looked up sharply to see if Bumlets was alright, just to see Bum's glassy eyes gazing emptily back at him, blaming him for not doing a thing. An earthquake rattled the floor, and he began to cry._

"_Act…Act…" _

"…Act!" A roughly familiar hand was shaking his shouldersand Act opened his eyes with a start to see Bumlets looking at him, worried. "Are ya alright?" he asked gently, softly. "-youse was rockin' da bunk…" Bum's brown eyes searched his own. Act gulped and sniffled, trying to stop himself crying.

"I-I dreamed ag'in Bum." Act sniffled, for all his trouble, reminding Bum that however old he may look for his age, he was still only eleven years old. Bum's gaze softened, and without a word, he took the young boy into his arms and comforted him, for all the world, taking on the part of a mother.

It was only Bum who knew the real truth about Act and his sister Lenna, who they called Choir, since she had such an amazing singing voice. That man hadn't really been as hideous as he had been in Act's dream. It was the boy's sense of fear making him look worse. That man had been sent by Act and Choir's parents who they had been running from all along. Bum looked up at the bottom of his bunk with sad eyes. He was afraid that this was only the beginning of their troubles, and a tear managed to find it's way out of the corner of his eyes. He had had a rough life, but these two kids had it worse.


End file.
